Forever Monsoon
by Elfdragon12
Summary: When Miss Golden Week uses her powers to disguise the remaining Baroque Works, Sir Crocodile gets more than just a new outfit. Light spoilers for the end of the Alabasta arc.
1. A Rainbow in the Clouds

**Prologue: A Rainbow in the Clouds**

It had been a normal day on the Grand Line until a Marine ship docked at the prison carrying three members of the Baroque Works, a villainous group led by the treacherous pirate warlord, Sir Crocodile. Normally, this would have been all well and good, seeing as how Sir Crocodile himself and his top members had already been imprisoned. However, these newly captured members instigated a jail break, only two of the members staying behind. Sir Crocodile and 'Mr.1'.

Getting ready to make his own escape, Mr. 1, a large and solid man, looked to his superior. "Crocodile, sir-" To his surprise, his superior was sitting leisurely against the prison wall, lighting a cigar. "Sir?"

Sir Crocodile chuckled, his erratic breath effecting the cigar smoke. "Go ahead. I don't really feel like escaping." Even though the sand-man was dressed in prison clothes, he still looked every inch like the dignified warlord he had been.

Mr. 1 was torn. Should he escape, or should he remain loyal and stick with his leader? As he was making this decision, a rainbow of colors circled in the clouds above them. This rainbow sparkled down on both the men, transforming their clothes. Mr. 1 was dressed as a superhero while Crocodile was dressed as a pirate king. However, it did not stop there. The sparkles lingered around Crocodile and shimmered until his body flickered as they did. Then both the sparkles and Sir Crocodile was gone.

**Author's Notes**

I absolutely hate how short this prologue is, but I felt it was appropriate to cut it off there. Don't worry, my future chapters will have much more substance to them. this is based off of the chapter pages 359-413 If you feel you were spoiled by this little part, it breaks my heart to tell you that I don't really care too much. Not really, but whatever. It's not like it's a big spoiler anyway.

Anyway, I'll upload the next part once I've typed it out, which will either be later tonight or tomorrow. Until then, this has been Elf. Ta.


	2. Out in the Monsoon

**Chapter 1: Out in the Monsoon**

Of all the places that Sir Crocodile could have possibly expected to show up, sitting in a grassy area and getting soaked by warm rain was not one of them. Crocodile could feel the rain soaking his body and making his body quite heavy. It didn't take him long to figure out that the heavy rain had doused his cigar and made it rather soggy. Also, the pirate noticed, with some irritation, his new outfit that was fit for a king of pirates. Looking around at his surroundings, the man saw that wherever he was, wasn't anywhere he had ever been to, seen, or heard of.

There were no ships, boats, or even bodies of water nearby from what Crocodile could see. There were many metal boxes with wheels, very many. They were obviously some sort of transportation device, because he could see people inside of them as they sped along hard, wet ground by some unseen force. Crocodile stood, feeling vulnerably wet and disoriented. While looking around he had noticed a sort of metal covering that the vehicles had been places under, so he thought that under there would be a good place to start organizing himself.

At this point, the rain on the metal above Crocodile was almost deafening. Analyzing at the situation, it seemed rather dire. He was wet and isolated in a strange place. Nothing seemed good at this particular turn of events.

"You know, this might sound rude since we haven't met before, but you look remarkably like a drowned cat." Crocodile turned his attention to his immediate surroundings, having paid too little attention before to notice a woman approach him. His first impression of her wasn't much. She didn't seem to wear clothes that covered very much, since she was standing there in a light colored tank top and long boxer shorts that were a bit damp. Her hair was a sandy blond color and her eyes were an earthy hazel green hue. Nothing about her seemed imposing or dangerous. "You waiting for someone?" This woman seemed to be fed up with waiting for an answer.

Crocodile stood there for a brief moment, looking around them before looking back to the woman. "No, I don't think I am."

"It didn't seem like you were." The woman seemed satisfied with Crocodile's answer. She stepped back with a light, amused smile. "You don't seem very happy being wet either. How about coming up to my apartment so we can both dry off?" She asked the man pleasantly.

Taken aback, Crocodile wondered if he'd have to reevaluate his previous conclusion of the woman. He looked down at the woman again. Her limbs were fairly thin and did not have any obvious signs of muscles, so it was unlikely that she was a fighter. The possibility that she could harm him, even while wet, was slim. One thing pricked his mind. Shouldn't she be scared of him? Crocodile was a large, imposing man with a scar running across his face and a large hook instead of a left hand. He did not look very friendly. "I don't see why not."

As she led the way up a flight of stairs, Crocodile observed her and the way she moved. Her movements were very unguarded. If Crocodile wanted to, he could kill her right then and there and she wouldn't be able to stop him or even avoid taking a lethal hit.

"By the way, my name's Samantha," The woman said, her hazel eyes looking back at him, "But just go ahead and call me Sam. Just about everyone else does." Her smile was still there. It kind of irritated Crocodile that her smile reminded him a little bit of his former vice president, Nico Robin. "What's your name?"

"My name is Crocodile." He told, finding very little reason to keep his name from this 'Sam' woman. Crocodile was quite sure that he could overpower her at any time if he needed or felt like doing so.

Crocodile noticed a certain glimmer in Sam's eyes when she spoke again. "Would 'Croc' be out of the question?"

"Yes, it would." Crocodile said simply. The nickname 'Croc' just didn't sit right with him and it never did, especially when he was young. "So Sam, do you often invite strange men to your home or is this a one time deal?"

Sam laughed, finding his insinuation amusing. "I invite them a lot, but not for what you're hinting at." Once they reached the third floor, Sam pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door. Without looking inside, she spoke. "Hey boys, you better not be jumping on the couch." Crocodile found it interesting when he heard a pair of squeaks come from inside the apartment. Just what kind of company did this woman keep?

Once inside, Crocodile had to keep his expression in check and not look the fool when looking around Sam's apartment. It wasn't like anything he had ever seen before. Not even the Alabastan king Cobra have anything in his palace like this woman had in her apartment, granted, there was much more living space in the palace than this small apartment.

On the couch that Sam had mentioned were two young boys who were anxiously sitting on their hands doing their best to look innocent. Neither Sam nor Crocodile found the act very convincing. Both boys had dark hair, but the younger had a dirt brown color while the older boy's was pitch black. The two boys looked up at the adults with large golden hazel eyes. Crocodile noticed some similarities between the boys and Sam.

"Are these yours?" Crocodile asked curiously.

Sam laughed again. "No way, these little boys are my sister's. I'm just babysitting them for her."

"I'm not a little boy!" The elder of the two stood up. "I'm eight years old!"

"And I'm five!" The littlest one piped up, holding up fingers to account for his age.

The eight year old boy really noticed Crocodile for the first time. His eyes grew wide as he stared at him, making the pirate wonder just what was going through the boy's mind. The boy turned to his aunt. "Aunt Sam, are you bringing a stranger home again?" He asked loudly. "Mom said that, one of these days, you're gonna get shot."

Sam did not look convinced. "Just like that?" The boy nodded furiously. Sam pulled a face and then shrugged. "Well, at least I'll die guilt-free." She looked to Crocodile to speak to him this time. "Hold on a sec and I'll gather up some towels so we can dry off. Boys, go ahead and introduced yourselves."

The eight year old jumped off the couch, hitting the floor with a dull thud. "My name is Brady and my little brother is Trevor. Who are you, mister stranger?"

Crocodile looked down on this boy with amused curiosity. This boy reminded him a little of another boy he had met. "My name is Crocodile."

While Crocodile was introducing himself, Trevor had seen his large hook. The small boy's eyes grew large as he looked from the golden hook to Crocodile's scarred face. "Are you a pirate?" Trevor asked him.

"And if I said yes?"

Crocodile didn't think that the boys' eyes could grow any larger but they did. The large man had some misgivings as grins grew along with their eyes. Should he have said it like that? "Cool!" Both boys cheered almost in perfect unison. Trevor practically bounced away to his aunt. "Aunt Sam! Aunt Sam! Mister Crocodile said he's a pirate! Isn't that really, really cool? Just like in my favorite show!" He looked back at his brother. "Right, Brady? Just like in One Piece!"

Crocodile's blood froze. Did that boy just say 'One Piece'? He stayed quiet. After all, tis 'One Piece' was unlikely to be the One Piece treasure that pirates had been searching for.

Sam emerged from wherever she had been with an arm full of towels. "A pirate, huh?" Her smile was a little longer. "Well, that would certainly explain the outfit. Here you go, Crocodile." She gave him one of the towels to start drying off with. I can take care of your coat, since it's soaked through. If your shirt's wet, I can put that in the dryer too. And if your pants are wet, you can just deal with that. If I have any man sitting in my place without any clothes on, these brats will tell my sister and everything just goes downhill from there."

Putting the towel over his arm, Crocodile shrugged off his fancy coat and found that his shirt wasn't really that wet. He handed Sam his coat with his hand, which she accepted and placed over her own arm. Then she just stood there with her hand still out. "What are you waiting for?" Crocodile asked her, quirking an eyebrow at the smaller woman.

"Your shirt's wet, isn't it?" Sam asked, mirroring Crocodile's expression. "There's no need to be shy, I don't care."

"You are a very insistent woman, aren't you?" Crocodile questioned with a smirk. Despite any misgivings he could have possibly had, he had begun to take off his shirt and vest. The man did not enjoy been wet in the slightest and wanted to be dry as soon as possible.

Sam shrugged as Crocodile handed her his shirt. "It's what I get for being a high school teacher. Once you're close to dry, go ahead and sit on the couch. Just put a towel down first." The blond explained to Crocodile, putting the other towels on a nearby counter.

"Aunt Sam, can I put in a movie?" Brady asked, grasping the woman's arm before she could go. He held up a thin box for her to see.

"You brought that stuff with you?" Sam asked, regarding the picture on the box carefully. Crocodile noticed her eyes flick towards him strangely. "Yeah, sure, whatever. I'm sure that Crocodile will find it interesting too."

As Crocodile dried out his hair, he couldn't help but think about what a strange woman this Samantha was.

**Author Notes:**

Da-da-da-daaaaa! This length is much better, I believe. Why does this woman let Crocodile into her house? Does she know who he is? One, she's just too good of a Good Samaritan for her own good(which is why the boy's mother thinks that she'll get shot one day). As for the second, her nephews might watch One Piece, but she doesn't, but what the movie box has on the cover gives her an inkling.

I hope I was able to portray Crocodile decently. I believe Crocodile is an intelligent man, no matter what 4Kids wants you to believe. The only reason that any man Crocodile's age would use toilet-puns would be because he didn't grow up or he's not the brightest crayon. Because I believe this, I don't think Crocodile would really turn Sam's offer down, considering he knows that he is isolated and figures that he can kill this woman if he needs to. And I imagine being wet, alone, and vulnerable isn't Crocodile's cup of tea, so he'd obviously want to get out of being all three of those as soon as possible. I like writing this in third person-limited from Crocodile's side rather than Sam's.

Anyway, please tell me what you think. If you don't like something, please tell me so constructively because flaming doesn't help anyone. If you don't like the fact I'm using Crocodile, too bad. This little plot bunny works best with him, the fact he's my favorite crook helps too. Until next time, this has been Elf. Ta.


	3. Movie Night

**Chapter 2: Movie Night**

Sam was right. Crocodile found the movie very interesting, especially since the movie was about himself, his attempt to conquer Alabasta, and the handful of pirates that stood in his way. From what he could see, the movie generally seemed to be accurate and Crocodile was beginning to see how he had been defeated, even though Monkey D. Luffy had such a small bounty compared to his.

Another thing that Crocodile noticed during the movie was that Sam kept looking back at him with a smile that gave him the impression that she had figured out who he was. The boys didn't seem to think about it because they kept on cheering for Luffy and his crew.

Before the movie ended, the two boys had drifted off to sleep. The five year old had draped himself over Sam's lap with both arms wrapped around her stomach. The eight year fell asleep on the floor across the adults' feet. The sky had grown dark outside and the ending credits were flashing on the screen.

"That was an enlightening movie." Sam whispered as she adjusted Trevor's arms from her waist. "Was I right?"

Crocodile was silent as thoughts raced through his mind. He found himself wishing for a cigar, but the only one he had was soggy so it was thrown out. Finally, he looked back to Sam. She still had that smile, which made him wonder if she had any other expression. "Just where am I?"

"Planet Earth, Scottsdale, Arizona, in the United States. No where near this Alabasta place or an ocean. Sorry."

"How long have you known about me?"

Sam chuckled rather than laughed this time. "My nephews are the fans, not me. I had no idea until I saw the movie cover. I'm kind of surprised you didn't start asking about this stuff sooner."

Leaning back, Crocodile continued to study any gestures or changes in her eyes. "It is something I've never experienced before, but I like to maintain my dignity."

"For who?" Sam asked quietly. "There's just me and a couple of boys who aren't even ten yet."

"Children remember the strangest things.

The woman next to Crocodile paused for a minute, as if she was remembering something that had happened awhile ago. Then she looked to Crocodile again with an almost irritated look. "Yeah, you're right." Considering that this was the most he had seen her expression change, Crocodile wondered just what happened for her to become annoyed by it. Before Crocodile could actually open his mouth to ask, Sam removed Trevor from her waist, stood up, and trotted over to the small kitchenette. "Thirsty for anything? Water, juice, what'll it be?"

Now that he mentioned it, he did feel a little thirsty now that he was, for the most part, dry. "I don't suppose you have some wine, would you?"

"Oh, expensive tastes." The woman sounded amused at Crocodile's question. She disappeared from Crocodile's line of vision for a moment. Soon enough, she popped back up, her little smile was little wider this time. "Officially, no, I have no alcohol in the apartment while the boys are over. However," Sam added, brandishing an unopened bottle of a red wine, "Between you and me, I think I might have just a little." She began the process of uncorking the bottle, but Crocodile noticed that she looked up to him though her blond bangs. Then she chuckled at something. "By the way, I'm sure that your clothes are finished drying by now, do you want them back or are you fine sitting in my living room shirtless?"

That was when Crocodile remembered that he was topless at the moment. However, instead of accepting his shirt right away, the pirate decided that he wanted to test certain waters out first. "Are they now? But what if I don't feel like putting it back on? You said that there was no need to be shy." A smirk crept upon his features.

Sam's face twitched at this idea, or perhaps from something else, but probably that. The twitch was too short to be able to tell just what she thought. Crocodile figured that she realized what he was implying, it was clear that she was an intelligent woman. He watched her as she pulled some glasses from a cupboard above her. "I may trust you, but I've only known about your existence for only a few hours." Sam put the glasses down and emerged from the kitchenette to pick her her five year old nephew.

"You trust me?" Crocodile asked, finding this rather interesting. She had just witnessed his biggest case of cunning treachery and she was saying she trusted him? "Trust is for fools."

Heaving her nephew up onto her shoulder, Sam looked over to Crocodile as she walked by. "I suppose I'm a fool, then." As the woman turned the corner, she groaned. "What does my sister feed these kids? Hey, Crocodile, could you help out by getting Brady in here on the bed?" Crocodile looked at the child laying at his feet. He was snoring loudly and seemed as if he hadn't a care in the world. The resemblance he shared with the Straw Hat boy was uncanny.

Instead of picking up the boy, Crocodile followed Sam into the room he saw her disappear. Sam had already set Trevor down and was going to go leave the room, but Crocodile blocked her way. He saw her step back in the element of surprise. Her eyes took a moment to come up to his face. "Oh, h-hello there."

"Why do you trust me? As far as I know, that 'moo-vy' was right. Everything you know says that you should have never let me into your home in the first place."

Sam laughed unexpectedly. "Oh, that's what's on your mind?" She laughed again. "Well, let me put it this way, Crocodile, will my sister come here tomorrow morning to find that her sister and both of her sons dead?"

Crocodile paused, regarding the woman carefully. He had been watching her almost all evening and knew that everything about her movements were unguarded. It would be so easy to kill her and those boys. He was almost completely dried through now, so he could escape and no one would ever know it was him. However, would killing her be worth the trouble he'd go through? Especially since he knew nothing about this world he was now in. "No, there would be no point to me killing you right now."

"There you go." Sam seemed smug. Why was it that these women he associated with were crazy? Granted, Sam was a different sort of woman than Nico Robin, the woman who led the Baroque Works with him, was. "Besides, it would be a little too late to throw you out anyway."

A crack of thunder startled the adults and lightning shone through the blinds, illuminating them for a brief moment. Sam laughed shakily. "I didn't expect that." Turning around, she walked across the room and pulled the blinds aside, looking out the window. "Wow, it's still coming down pretty hard. Usually it lets off after ten minutes or so. It's been going for a few hours now. It's not even monsoon season just yet."

"When did the rain start?" Crocodile asked as he joined the woman at the window.

Sam glanced over at Crocodile. "Just a little bit before I saw you, actually." She turned her eyes back to the rain. "It was rather strange, really." The woman told him slowly. "There weren't really any clouds in the sky and then they all just appeared. The forecast didn't show anything about rain."

"Is that why you were in such clothing?"

Crocodile watched as Sam nodded. "The fact that it hit 117 degrees Fahrenheit today, too."

Sam backed off from the window and left the room. Slowly Crocodile followed after her. Before he reached the door, something hit him in the face. Reaching up, Crocodile peeled whatever it was from his head and saw that it was his shirt. The pirate chuckled as he tugged on his shirt. He left the bedroom as saw that Sam was beginning to pour out some wine. By the time Crocodile reached the kitchenette, she was ready and waiting with two glasses of red wine.

"Wine isn't really a drink for the shirtless, is it?" Sam asked, quirking an eyebrow as she handed Crocodile a glass.

Looking at her strangely, Crocodile accepted the glass. This woman was strange indeed, but it would seem that he would have to rely on her for the moment. Using someone willing was far easier than forcing someone to help him. Not only that, Crocodile felt that he would not want to create a fuss here. However, even though this woman said that she was foolish enough to trust him, Crocodile would not return the foolish emotion.

Holding up her glass, Sam looked at Crocodile expectantly. "Cheers?"

Crocodile lightly touched her glass with his with a smirk. "Cheers."

**Author's Notes:**

Did anyone else forget Crocodile was shirtless? I did, but I would randomly remember 'oh hey, he's shirtless, isn't he?' Also, I'm not exaggerating about the temperture or the rain. That's how it really is in central or west Arizona. I know this from personal experience. It sucks. A lot. by the way, does Crocodile seem like a jerk in the last bit? If so, good because that should be him in character. A nice Crocodile is just plain strange.

So not only is Sam a good Samaritan, she trusts people a lot. However, I should make this point, she's an idealistic realist. She knows how things work, but she hopes for the better anyway.

Before you leave me to read or do something else, please tell me what you think. If you love it, good for you. If you don't, tell me what you think I could do better. Flames or Crocodile-hating/OC-hating will generally be ignored unless you have a valid point in Sam-hating.


	4. Not That Many Differences

**Chapter 3: Not That Many Differences**

The first thing that Crocodile heard the next morning was a ringing. It was similar to a Den Den Mushi, but it was also much different. He opened his eyes to see Sam next to him tiredly fumbling around for something. It seemed to take her a moment to find whatever she was looking for. Once she did find something, she brandished a small, black thing up in the air silently. Crocodile figured that the small thing in her hand was what was making the noise. The man leaned his head back as Sam climbed off the couch and pressed a button.

"Hey, Kat. Just about ready to get your kids back?" Sam spoke rather brightly for only just having woken up. The one she was speaking to must have been the mother of the boys and the sister to the woman in front of him. Hearing her tone as she spoke, Crocodile also figured that Sam was rather used to being woken up suddenly and having to be on the move right away.

Only half-listening to the one half of the conversation he could heard, Crocodile's thoughts went back to the night before while he and Sam had been drinking some wine. He had asked her questions about this world he had found himself in and Sam had answered most of his questions well. She was quite good at explaining most of the things he asked her about. If Crocodile remembered correctly, she had told him before that she was a teacher. That must have had something to do with it. He glanced out the window and noticed that it was quite bright outside. The rain must have stopped then.

Crocodile had asked Sam things ranging anywhere from geography to politics. There was more than just one continent in the world, there were seven, along with seven seas and four oceans. Also, the general sentiment about politicians in this particular country was that there was not one to be trusted. Interestingly enough, Crocodile would have said the same about the World Government leaders in his world, though for some different reasons.

There were no such things as Devil Fruit in this world, but there was a gum tree, though it didn't produce body-changing fruit. Crocodile remembered that Sam had asked for a small demonstration of his powers. It was an understandable and simple request since powers such as his were unseen in this new world, so he decided to humor the woman and formed a small sandstorm in the palm of his hand. Sam was quite impressed with that small display of power, to the point that Crocodile found it rather amusing.

This world, too, had also known an age of piracy upon the seas. The most interesting thing about this was that, from what Sam had told Crocodile, there were actually many similarities between these pirates of old and the notable pirates of the age in his world. Such as a man named Edward Teach, though he was more famously known as 'Blackbeard'. Amoung the most powerful pirates in his world was a man by the name of Edward Newgate, more widely known as 'Whitebeard'. An interesting coincidence. The most relevant to Crocodile, however, was a man called 'Captain Hook'. Sam assured him that Crocodile was more fearsome and powerful than any presentations of this captain that she had ever seen, but she went on to explain that a crocodile had eaten his hand and so it was replaced with a hook. Coincidentally, this Captain Hook was scared of ticking noises and clocks since the same crocodile that had claimed his hand had also eaten a clock. Crocodile scoffed at this, but supposed it made a certain amount of sense. If he himself were a lesser man, he might have been frightened of the bananadiles that he kept as pets. 'If', was the keyword in that phrase, along with 'might have been'.

"Alright, I'll see you then." Crocodile stirred himself from his memories of the night before as Sam finished her conversation. She put the device down on the counter before stretching her thin body, to get out any kinks that might have built up from falling asleep on the couch. "My sister is coming to pick up her boys in a little while. I've got to make sure that they've got their stuff packed then. Shouldn't take too long for them to do that."

"I take it you do this for your sister often." Stating his obversation, Crocodile noted with some amusement that the older of the two had been left there on the floor and was beginning to stir.

Sam looked over her shoulder at Crocodile. "You should get a prize for the understatement of the year." She told him as she leaned over and picked up the wine glass that had been left on a small table by the couch. "These boys are here almost every other weekend. Babysitters can be hard to find sometimes."

The boy on the floor sat up and rubbed at his eyes. His hair was all over the place. "Mm, Aunt Sam, what's for breakfast?"

Crocodile noticed that, once the child had woken up, he seemed to have been driven from Sam's immediate thoughts. The little boy had her complete attention."Oh, Brady, did we wake you up?" Brady blearily shook his head. Sam shrugged. "Oh good. I'll get out the cereal and milk and you go fix your hair. It looks like a bird nested in it."

"Alright." Brady groaned before turning and noticing that Crocodile was still sitting on the couch. Something was different about the way Brady looked at him this morning than the night before. "Are you the Crocodile from One Piece?" The boy asked, getting straight to the point.

Chuckling, Crocodile quirked an eyebrow. So the kid finally figured it out? "Yes, I am." He watched for the boy's expression to change. The boy kept his eyes on Crocodile and he seemed to be chewing his lip.

It took Brady two tries to finally say anything. "What's your plans?"

"I don't have any at the moment." Crocodile told Brady honestly. Since he had very little knowledge of this world, he couldn't really make any plans, now could he? "Why don't you do as your aunt asked?"

Brady stared a little longer before running off to the bathroom.

"You handled that well." Sam called over to Crocodile from the kitchenette as she pulled out milk from the refridgerator. Some colorful boxes had already been set down on a small round table. "But let me warn you, you haven't heard the last of that from him." Hearing this, Crocodile quirked an eyebrow, however, Sam shifted the subject by clearing her throat. "Yikes, my throat is sore from all that talking last night. Even during the school year, I don't think I've ever done so much talking in that amount of time." She paused. "Well, maybe except for that first day of school."

That was something they had not talked about before. "Just what is it you teach?"

"Art." Sam told him simply. "But that also includes teaching the kids about styles of art, the influences on the art world, and such. Although, for every one kid genuinely interested in what I'm saying, it seems like they are three more only taking the class for the credit."

This was not a term that Crocodile had heard used in such a way before. "What does kind of 'credit' is this?"

Sam began to explain, but then stopped. "Hold on with the questions, Crocodile. Let my voice rest up. Staying up late explaining things isn't terrific on my voice, so I want to rest it a bit before continuing."

Something that Brady had done must have woken the younger brother, Trevor was his name, for the little boy came out of the bedroom with a bounce. "Morning, Aunt Sam!" The boy declared cheerfully. He spared Crocodile a glance and seemed to have suddenly remembered the events from the night before. "Morrning, Mister Crocodile!"

"Hey, Trevor, Fruity Pebbles or Lucky Charms?" Sam asked, holding up two brightly colored boxes. "You guys finished off the Cocoa Puffs yesterday."

"Both!" The boy cheered, throwing his arms in the air.

"Either one or other, Trevor, not both. You might go into a sugar-induced coma if you had both."

Trevor pouted for a moment, but soon perked right back up with a cheer for the 'Lucky Charms' options. Crocodile could only look at the boy with exasperated amusement and a quiet chuckle. The behavior of these boys was quite interesting to watch. Brady soon came running out of the bathroom with a call for the 'Fruity Pebbles'.

As both boys were eating breakfast, there was a light knock on the door. However, before Sam could go to answer it, Crocodile heard a key opening the lock and the door opened, without her accord. At the door was a woman that seemed close to Sam's age and had some similar features, like the eyes. There was a familiar gleam to them. This new woman looked to the couch and Crocodile first. It was very simple to see that she had not expected to see him there. After a moment of the woman's blank stare, she looked over to Sam who had practically frozen on the spot. The woman made a dry and unsuprised face. "So, sister, what's this guy's sob story?"

* * *

Sorry that this chapter took a little longer to post that the other ones. It's just that I didn't really have too clear of an idea of what to do with this chapter compared to the other ones. That and I held a little marathon to finish watching Avatar. The old men were amazingly awesome. This time I seem to feature the little brothers more than Sam... And more than once, I've wanted to draw the two of them cosplaying as Ace and Luffy. I should do it. It'd be cute.

What did you think Crocodile and Sam would do while drinking their wine? Stare at each other meaningfully before dropping everything and making out? While that'd be interesting, that would be a major OoC moment for both of them, not to mention rather embarressing to think about writing. I actually think that talking about politics with Crocodile would be interesting, and I don't find politics very interesting in general. After rereading the Alabasta arc a second time, I noticed something I didn't think about before. Crocodile uses a time bomb, and the ticking noise is heard before you hear it's a time bomb. Captain Hook was scared of clocks and ticking noises. I don't think Oda-sensei needs to come out and say Crocodile is based off of the Captain. The inferred hints are more than enough. A hook, crocodile motif, ticking/clocks, high ambitions, and a sort of mocking-gentlemen air about them.

Anyway, this has been another chapter of entertainment brought to you by Elfdragon12. By the way, if any of you were wondering why I didn't say anything about the One Piece pirate known as Blackbeard, that was because no one had heard of him until after Crcodile was defeated and his Shichibukai position left open. Crocodile wouldn't have known anything about him.

T-T-F-N.


	5. A Disagreement Between Sisters

**Chapter 4: A Disagreement Between Sisters**

"Don't be like that, Kat." Sam scolded her sister. "He needed a place to stay for the night. You saw how it was raining cats and dogs last night. I couldn't leave him out in the rain like that."

"Sam, you do realize that a lot of people were out in that rain last night, but no one else invites random strangers into their apartment like you do, don't you?" 'Kat' reprimanded Sam, putting her hands on her hips. Crocodile remained silent, recognizing this as a long-time argument between the sisters. Besides, he personally was on 'Kat's' side of the argument.

Sam rolled her eyes. "I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"That's what I'm scared of, Sam." The sister hissed quietly, most likely not wishing to alert the boys of their argument. "That 'I'm still alive' won't always work. Get your head out of the clouds."

There was a tense silence between them. Crocodile glanced from woman to woman. He wondered who would be the first to break it.

"Mom! Mom!" Trevor ran up to his mother. He startled both the women, even Crocodile was surprised. "Did you bring me anything?"

The woman scooped the boy up into her arms. Crocodile recognized it as a protective gesture. Unlike her sister, this woman knew what was good for her "Of course I did, Trevor." She told her son sweetly. "But you have to be patient and wait 'til we get home before you can get it. Is your stuff all packed up and ready to go?"

"No." Trevor pouted.

"Well, off you go then."

Suddenly, Sam slapped her forehead, drawing Crocodile's attention. "Where are my manners?"

"The same place your sanity went?" Sam shot her sister a dirty look.

"I forgot to introduce you to each other." Sam said, exasperated by her sister. "Kat, this is Crocodile. Crocodile, this is my sister, Katrina. Most people call her 'Kat' though."

Standing up to greet this woman, Crocodile was very pleased that there no sign of recognition at his name in her eyes. That would have made things much more difficult if she knew exactly who he was and just how dangerous he could be. At his full height, it was easy to see that Crocodile towered over this woman. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Katerina. Your sister has been a most generous host." He bowed to Kat politely. If there was something that Crocodile knew how to do well, it was to play the charming gentleman. "I'm very grateful for her hospitality."

"Sure." Kat responded meekly. Crocodile was satisfied to see that Sam's sister was very much taken aback by his polite demeanor. Perhaps she would be put off by that and wouldn't dig into his presence in Sam's apartment. It would be easier that way. "If you don't mind me asking," Kat interrupted Crocodile's thoughts, "what's with the hook?"

"Mister Crocodile is a pirate! Just like from One Piece." Trevor called out excitedly as he came out with a blue and red glossy backpack. "Isn't that right?" He looked up at Crocodile expectantly.

Raising an eyebrow and glancing over at Sam, Crocodile chuckled. He noticed that she rolled her eyes in return. Hadn't he told her that children have an excellent memories? "Yes. That's right."

Kat nodded, seemingly unimpressed by this. However, she didn't press any further about his hook. "Brady, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, mom." The older brother had quietly eaten his breakfast and gotten his things packed away. He pulled his backpack onto his shoulders and ran over to his mom, taking glances at Crocodile the whole time. The boy certainly had his reservations about him now.

"Well," Sam spoke up, sidling next to her sister. "You guys be safe, alright?" She gave her sister a hug. "The last thing I want to hear about is you getting into an accident on your way home."

"You do better at being safe, too, Sam." Kat gave Sam a reluctant hug back. "Come on, boys, your dad's still waiting in the car. Say bye to Aunt Sam and Mister Crocodile." The boys did so and the three left. Sam followed them out the door, with Crocodile close behind, and watched them as they drove away.

The two of them stood there for a while longer; Sam staring in the direction her sister had left and Crocodile watching Sam's expression. He wasn't sure what to make of the thoughtful look on her face. There was no possibility that she would throw him out when she knew his situation, he knew that much about her.

Now he thought about it, Crocodile honestly knew very little about his hostess. He knew she had a sister, who had a husband and two children, she was fond of children, she was a teacher, and, for the most part, she was intelligent. He regarded her once again. His hostess certainly had no problems with showing off some skin. Crocodile could see most of her body. There was too little muscle. He could easily overpower her even without the use of his Devil Fruit abilities. Even though Sam had no knowledge of who he was before she let him into her apartment, there had to be some other motive to letting his in.

"What's up, Crocodile?" Sam's voice jarred him from his contemplations.

"What do you mean?"

Sam folded her arms over her chest and gave him an amused look. Her stance was that of a woman that didn't believe what she was hearing; leaning back with most of her weight on one leg, her head tilted to the side, and a quirked eyebrow. "You were staring. Unless you just admiring my amazing physique, you've got to have something on your mind."

Crocodile laughed. Sam was quite a perceptive woman. He'd have to stay focused if he wanted to keep his secrets. "I was just thinking that, despite all of talking we did last night, I know very little about you."

"That's something we have in common then. We really don't know anything about each other." Sam responded with that little smile of hers. "I don't really see a need for us to go over everything about our lives until now. Besides, we already know the most important bits."

"And those would be?"

"You are a pirate from another world, probably considered a criminal mastermind, and I'm way too nice to even consider throwing you out. But," the smile never left Sam's face as she closed the door, "if you want to know more about this world, feel free to ask."

An innumerable amount of questions sped through Crocodile's mind, but he remembered that she had been reluctant to continue her explanations earlier in the morning. Instead, he thought of a different kind of question. "Do you know how to play chess?"

Crocodile had to bite back a laugh when he saw Sam's eyes light up as if he had given her some great, precious gift. "You, sir," she began with a much wider smile, "are now one of my new favorite people."

* * *

Do you know how hard it is to get a person to play chess with you? It's even harder to find someone that's really good at it and you can have fun playing with. It's not really any fun playing with a person that barely understands that only the knights can jump over other pieces and you have to correct them each time they mess up. It's not that fun playing with the computer either. I much prefer playing against a person.

I took a liberty with Crocodile. You know, the chess bit, but chess probably does exist in the One Piece world and Crocodile just seems like the type of person to enjoy playing it. Besides, I've already got a scenerio for them and I've decided, according to their personalities, what their style of chess play would be. I don't think any Crocodile fan would really mind...

I'm sorry this chapter took so long in getting out. I'm at college and taking a short story writing class, so I've been working with a lot of my original stuff instead of fanfiction. I don't like that this chapter is shorter than the other ones too, except the prologue of course. It was pretty hard to write since it's sort of a transition chapter. Future chapters may be slow coming too. I have a lot of projects to work on, along with all the homework and studying I should be doing, and National Novel Writing Month is coming up in November. That month I'll be working solely on one original story and try to beat my record from last year.

Oh, I'm thinking about posting this on my deviantart account, which is the same username. One of my RL friends mentioned how hard a time she had looking things up on FF, so I think I'll post it on dA too.


	6. Checkmate

**Chapter 5 Checkmate**

"Check." Crocodile announced. This was actually the fourth time this game he had put Sam in check, but she had proved that she was remarkably good at escaping checkmate. The pirate lord watched the woman with care as she studied the chess board.

This game was their seventh game that afternoon. The majority of the wins belonged to Crocodile, but Sam had beaten him twice and one of their games had ended with a stalemate. None of these games had been won by any large margarine. Both adults were good at the game, although their styles of game-play were fundamentally different. Sam was reluctant to sacrifice her pieces, thinking that they could prove useful later on in the game. On the other hand Crocodile freely relinquished his pieces when they were of no further use to him.

After some contemplation, Sam picked up her bishop and placed it three squares in front of her king, removing it from danger.

Regarding the board, Crocodile considered his next move with caution. His eyes rolled over each carved, wooden piece on the board. He could take her bishop with his rook, however, that would put his rook in jeopardy from her knight. That rook was a piece he still required. An idea struck Crocodile.

"It's boring just playing, don't you think so?"

Sam looked up from the board and cocked an eyebrow at her opponent, a smile pulling at her lips. "Are you suggesting a bet?"

"Why not?" Crocodile asked, spreading his arms."It will make the game more exciting."

"Alright." Sam drew out her agreement. Her blond bangs shaded her eyes. "But what are you wanting to bet? You don't have any money."

"Secrets. The loser will have to share a secret."

There was a short pause before Sam looked back to Crocodile with an intrigued smile. "I have to admit, Crocodile, you are a constant source of curiosity. Sure, that movie told me some of who you are, but I can guess that was only a speck of sand in the Sahara Desert. I accept."

Crocodile chuckled to himself. He was a constant source of curiosity? Samantha was the one that was constantly surprising the warlord. Even after watching how dangerous he was, she let him stay without any fuss. Of course, she was a sensible woman and realized that kicking him out would be futile, but such a complete lack of resistance was unusual. "You realize I just might win the next game, don't you?"

"You might," Sam admitted, tucking blond hair behind her ear, "but, then again, I might win. After all, you haven't won every game. I think learning something about you is worth the risk." That little smile was back. "Next game is when it gets interesting."

That game ended with Crocodile's victory. "I wonder if that's a prediction for the future." He smirked, putting a hand to his chin.

"Don't put your faith in predictions, Crocodile." After setting the pieces back into their starting positions, Sam picked a pawn from each side and shuffled them behind her back. Holding a pair of closed fists in front of her, that familiar little smile was back. "Pick one."

With a smirk to counter her smile, Crocodile gazed at Sam's fists. They had chosen this method of choosing who gets which color after the first couple of games. "Your left." When Sam opened her fist to reveal that the left held the black pawn. "Thank you." Crocodile took the pawn from her palm and placed it back onto the board. "I do believe it's your turn to start the game."

Without a word, Sam quirked an eyebrow and replaced the white pawn in her right hand back on the board. Her fingers wandered over to the little pawn in front of her king and she moved it forward two spaces.

"That move?" That was one of the most basic tactics within the book of chess tactics. It was also one of the easiest to prevent. Crocodile picked up the pawn in front of his king and moved it two spaces forward, blocking Sam's pawn. "Don't tell me that you've forgotten who you're playing against."

Sam shrugged. "Even the experts forget about the simple moves." Her next move was to move the bishop next to her king three spaces diagonally.

Regarding the board with a calm air, Sir Crocodile moved the pawn in front of his queen-side bishop up two spaces, in front of Sam's bishop.

With little hesitation, Sam next moved her king-side knight to sit two spaces in front of the king-side rook.

Crocodile's responding move was to shift the pawn in front his queen-side knight ahead one space. Now the three pawns were diagonal, including the pawn in front of his queen-side rook.

In Sam's next move, she switched her rook and her king. The rook sat one space from where the king had been and the king a space from where the rook had been.

Crocodile smiled. He recognized that move, it was called 'castling'. "Relying on your defenses so soon?" The pirate warlord smirked as he moved his king-side bishop. "I know I can be intimidating for most people, but I didn't expect you to pull back so soon." Lifting a taunting eyebrow, Crocodile sat back in his chair.

"Retreating?" Crocodile looked from Sam's questioning gaze to the hand she had placed on the white knight still behind a row of little pawns. "Who said I was retreating? It's just that I've gotten a feel for certain things about you, Crocodile. I have no doubt that, with something like a secret on the line, you'll have more aggressive tactics than in any of the other games we've played." She moved the knight up and to her left. "Your move." Sam swept a hand above the chess pieces.

With a chuckle, Crocodile picked up his already-moved bishop and moved it to sit in front of of Sam's king-side knight. She wasn't the only one to learn some things from their previous games. Crocodile could recognize when he had the woman on the ropes by this game. She would make desperate, although good, moves to prolong her fate.

The hostess picked up the knight to her left and moved the piece in front of one of Crocodile's pawns.

Finally, Crocodile moved one of his own knights, the one by his king's side. The knight was placed directly in front of the king.

With her next move, Sam was able to surprise the pirate warlord. That little smile on her face changed to a smirk as her queen-side knight removed the pawn in front of his queen-side rook. Crocodile looked up from the chess board up to Sam. His black pawn was rolling in her fingers as she regarded him with smug confidence. "The first piece is mine. Your move."

And so the game continued.

The game was long, longer than any of the other games that the two had played. More and more pieces were removed from gameplay.

"Checkmate." Crocodile concluded with a triumphant smirk. He had finally trapped Sam's king with his last rook and his queen. Leaning forward against the table, he observed Sam as she confirmed her loss.

Sam leaned back in her chair with a sigh. That smile was still there as she stood up and stretched. "Looks like I've got to cash in." The woman hummed to herself as she let her arms flapped back to her sides. "Is there a specific sort of secret that you want me to spill?"

"A secret you haven't told to anyone else before."

"Blackmail material, huh?" Sam's little smile turned into a smirk. "Hm, there a lot of things that I haven't told anyone." For several minutes, she considered secrets to spill to her clever guest. Once in a while, she'd give a little hum. "What to tell?" A quiet mummer under her breath. "Okay," Sam leaned forward with her elbows on the table. "Alright, I've got one for you, but promise that this never is heard by anyone else."

Crocodile quirked an eyebrow. "Alright, I promise." Blackmail didn't work as well if everyone already knew the secret.

With a dry chuckle, Sam shook her head. Crocodile knew she was going to regret this one day.

**Author's Notes**

Gah, I'm sorry this took so long. It's not even that long, too. Writing the actual game was difficult(probably kind of difficult to understand too) and Sam hasn't told ME what she's going to tell Crocodile. Stuff like that tends to kill my productivity. That's why this chapter took so long and leaves you at a cliffhanger. That and Dragon Ball Z has been bashing me over the head with fanfiction ideas. I've got over three different epic fics in my head for that series. Sigh.

For a while, I was going to have Crocodile win all of the games, but that would make Sam too pathetic. She needs to provide some sort of challenge to Crocodile or else it would have gotten boring for him.

I actually really like the way I've been writing this story. Little gestures, subtle comments, and intelligence are what make this story. It also focuses on Crocodile's thought process and less on what goes through Sam's head. Hope I don't sound arrogant here, but I think I've got Crocodile's personality pretty good here.

About that issue I was considering before-I'm not gonna do it. I'm too lazy and I don't like posting the same thing on two different sites. It feels like I'm seeking attention(though I do) and other stuff I can't remember at the moment.


	7. Shallow Victory

I really have no excuse as to why it took over a year for me to finish this darn chapter. There have been plenty of times where I just stared at this chapter and just didn't know what to do with it. I can't believe myself. Of course, I made it longer than the other chapters, but it isn't all that much longer. I can only hope you accept my humble apology and acknowledge I'm allowed to have a life away from my computer and that I have other projects to work on that aren't fanfiction.

That said, please enjoy this chapter and don't hate me too much. I'll do much better with the next chapter. I honestly forgot how much I love writing Crocodile. In the morning, rather than the 2:30 AM it currently is, I will sit down and make a proper outline of where this story is going so you don't have to wait so long.

**Chapter 6: Shallow Victory**

"I wanted to be a pirate," was not the sort of secret Crocodile was expected and, judging by her crooked grin, Sam knew the same. However the pink flush over her cheeks indicated she wasn't lying either. "Never thought I'd admit this to a pirate though." The chuckle was mixed with her breath.

Crocodile leaned back in his chair, feeling cheated. He was sure it showed on his face. Picking up his captured king piece, Crocodile looked over it carefully while wondering how to address his dissatisfaction. When he looked back to Sam, he noticed that her face was still flushed and she was looking away from him. There was more to this 'secret' than the nonchalance of her admission hinted at. "What makes this secret worth my win?"

Clearing her throat, Sam stood and walked into the kitchenette. "You never said it had to be a dirty secret, Crocodile-just a secret I haven't told anyone else before. I will admit it wasn't so secret when I was eight and had read 'Peter Pan', but I never told anyone about it after I 'moved on'. Nobody would suspect it since I'm such a Good Samaritan." She riffled through a cupboard over the stove. "I still wanted to be one throughout high school-get a house somewhere in Washington or Oregon. Nobody thinks about those states. Get a ship and attack ships along the coast of Africa somewhere. Maybe Madagascar." With a little hum, she stood back and stared up at her cupboard more. "It didn't help that I live in a state with few natural water sources, so I thought about it even more." Something rattled when she set a thin box down on the counter. "But that's all I'm telling you about that for now, Crocodile," Sam grinned at him when she pushed away from the stove, "so maybe next time you win, you'll be a little more specific about what deep, dark secret you want."

With that wavering in his face, Crocodile waited for Sam to cook dinner—Parmesan chicken-something or other.

During dinner, the two bantered back and forth, both avoiding certain subjects to be used later as betting secrets. Afterwards, they played one more game of chess-ending in another stalemate. Giving a yawn once the pieces were separated, Sam told Crocodile that she wanted to get some real sleep. At the end of the day, Crocodile's victories were at four, the stalemates at two, and his losses at two.

Soft noises from the kitchenette were what woke Crocodile in the morning. Still drowsy, the pirate pushed himself from the pull-out bed and looked for the cause of noises. He stood up and made his way to the little kitchen.

Sam was already considerably more dressed than she was when they first met. She was dressed in a pair of pinstripe slacks and a red button-up, her sleeves folded up to her elbows.

The hostess was pulling dishes and ingredients from the cupboards. On her hip was a bowl with a whisk and measuring cups inside it. On the small counter was flour, milk, eggs, and other ingredients. Over the electric stove—Sam had given a basic run-over of the electronics before—was a griddle with a little orange light glowing.

"What are you making?" Crocodile leaned against the counter, giving the griddle a casual glance.

"Pancakes." Sam emptied the bowl and poured a measured amount of flour into it. "After breakfast, I'm going to need to make a trip to the grocery store since my nephews just about cleaned me out. Sometimes I think they have bottomless pits for stomaches." She mixed in more of the ingredients. "Do you want to come with me? You haven't left the apartment since the other night. I'm sure you want a chance to stretch out your legs."

Quirking a brow, Crocodile chuckled. "Very well. Since you know me so well," he smirked with sarcasm in his voice, "I don't see how I can refuse."

"Hey," Sam snapped, "you started the whole betting thing after I won."

The smirk on Crocodile's face grew. "And you haven't won since."

With a shrug, the hostess turned to the griddle. "I was right when I thought you would be more aggressive with something like secrets on the line." She poured out large dots of batter to cook. After five pancakes were cooking, Sam paused. Judging from the way she stared up at the ceiling, Crocodile figured that she was remembering something. "I have a client I need to call this afternoon."

"A client?" Crocodile echoed, "I thought you taught at a school."

"I do, but a teacher's salary is pretty small here," Sam looked away from that spot on the ceiling to Crocodile. "So I do a side job. Art commissions. Last week, a guy contacted me for a commission, but he's been busy. Thus, today we're going to finish up on the details and such." She gave a little smile. "I can't put everything in my life down just because I let you in. It's a good thing you didn't pop up during the school year."

The pirate warlord said nothing as Sam flipped the pancakes. That was something that still bothered him. Why was she trusting him? Yes, she was one of those foolish people who put the wellbeing of others before herself, but to this extent was ridiculous.

"Why?"

Sam stopped, blinking at Crocodile. "What?"

"Why do you do this? You have done this before I came here and you have done so for me. You are weak and can easily be taken advantage of." Narrowing his eyes, Crocodile was focused of Sam's face and waiting for any change in her expression. "What do you expect in return?

There was a flattening of Sam's expression as she tilted her head the tiniest bit. After a moment, she turned back to the pancakes. She took the pancakes off and poured more of the batter on it. "If you want to know so much, Crocodile," she smiled at him, "why don't you ask me that after you've won another game?"

Crocodile chuckled. While he didn't like being side-stepped like this, he had to appreciate that the woman knew how to play her cards. "Very well then." As Sam laid a plate of pancakes down before him, he cracked a wide smirk. "You know something, Miss Samantha?"

Curious, Sam raised her eyebrows. "What is it this time?"

"You would make a horrible pirate."

There was a moment that Sam just stared at the warlord. Then she laughed. "I suppose you're right, but we all have our own secret ambitions, don't we?"

With a shrug, the warlord ate his meal. Soon enough, his hostess joined him across the table and the two ate in amiable silence. It wasn't very long until both had eaten their fill and Sam took care of the dishes they had used.

"Alright." It was late in the morning when the hostess shouldered her purse. "Are you ready to go, Crocodile."

Standing up, Crocodile reached for his coat. "Yes, I am."

"You don't need your coat," Sam interjected with a frown. "It's so hot outside that you really don't need it. You'll make me uncomfortable just looking at you. That," the frown on her face eased away, "and it will make you stand out even more. It's way too formal just for a trip to the grocery store."

Raising his eyebrows at the woman, Crocodile let the coat fall back over the chair. "Very well." It would be strange not going out fully dressed, but Sam's points were valid—even if he was sure he'd be fine in the heat. Alabasta was a desert and he had worn his thick, fur coat there. "How far is it to the store?" He changed topics as she unbolted the doors from the inside so they could leave.

"Not too far," Sam said as she opened the door. "The one I like to go to is just under a mile north." Waiting until Crocodile had left the apartment, Sam closed the door behind her and locked it once again.

As the two walked down the stairs to the ground level, Crocodile couldn't help but marvel at how many times that Sam had turned her back to him. Granted, Crocodile preferred someone competent and intelligent as a guide than an idiot. While she was a fool for trusting him, he would be the fool for tossing away such a convenient, little tool.

"What are you thinking about now?" Sam's voice interrupted the pirate's thoughts as she opened the door to a sleek blue car—another thing that had been explained to him. This one must have been hers. "Not about the trust thing again."

A smirk pulled on Crocodile's face. "Ask me the next time you win." He waited a beat before continuing, "if you can, that is."

"Just get in," Sam grumbled as she did so herself.

After adjusting the car seat so that Crocodile could fit inside without having to fold up like a pretzel, Sam started the engine and drove out of the parking lot. The blast of cool air on his face was a surprise, but not a bad one. He could get used to traveling this way. Especially the speed. A mile passed in only a few minutes with the delay of traffic. The music, on the other hand, was strange and he just wasn't sure what to make of it. It didn't sound pleasing to the ear at all and yet his hostess was bobbing her head to the 'song'.

The music was, thankfully, put to an end when Sam shut the car off.

As the two climbed out of the car, Sam's eyes flickered to Crocodile as she tried to suppress a wide smile. He heard a distinct, yet quiet, chuckle.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing really," Sam said as she shut her door. "It's just that I feel like I should be wearing a fedora and speaking in a New York accent, ready to crack some kneecaps." The woman didn't elaborate when she noticed Crocodile's questioning look. Instead, she grabbed a cart and made her way to the store entrance.

Sam was right when she implied Crocodile would catch attention. Just about everyone they passed by did a double-take at the pirate warlord. Some noting his height, others looking at the large and shiny hook he had for a left hand, the rest taking an extra long moment to notice both. However, Crocodile didn't care, used to such stares by this point. Such a thing happened when you gained a widespread reputation. Sam, on the other hand, looked all to amused, if that little smile on her face was anything to go by.

Inside the grocery store was cool as well. The lights above them hummed, just barely audible over the speaker playing more of that strange music Sam had been listening to in the car. More stares greeted them as they passed by the purchasing area. An appreciation for his own rarity simmered in Crocodile's mind. He could do anything he wanted and no one could truly stop him. Sure, someone might have seen that 'One Piece' thing, but it was unlikely they could match his fighting skill.

"Oh my," an old woman passing by them gasped. She placed a weak hand on Sam's arm to stop her. "Is that your husband, dearie?"

Crocodile opened his mouth to disagree, but stopped when his hostess gestured for him not to say a word.

"Yes," Sam lied, "he doesn't usually come with me on my shopping trips, but he wanted to make sure I didn't buy the raisins I keep sneaking into my cookie recipes." The teacher shared a conspiratorial smile with the old woman. "He keeps saying I do it to keep them all to myself," she shot Crocodile a sly smirk, "he's completely right, of course."  
The old woman chuckled, probably having had playfully teased her husband in such a way in the past. "Well, I'm sure you have your own way of making up for such selfishness," she said with a wink.

Dipping her head, Sam hid her face from Crocodile so she couldn't see her expression. "I certainly do."

With that, the old woman bid farewell and Sam returned it with a wave.

"It seems I underestimated you," Crocodile admitted as he quirked an eyebrow. "You're not quite as innocent as you act."

Sam turned away to hide the faint blush that he had already seen. "It's simpler to tell that sort of lie than it is to explain what you really are." She picked a box of off the shelf and examined them before she placed it in the cart. "More believable too. Who would believe me if I told them that you were a pirate lord from another world that I've been letting into my apartment? I must be reading too many cheesy romance novels."

"And our bets?"

That made Sam pause. She turned to face Crocodile, that little smile had faded away. "Any secret I tell you after you win is the truth and I expect the same from you. After all," that smile returned, "why bother with such a thing if all we do is lie to each other."  
"I will tell you the truth," Crocodile agreed, placing a hand on his hook. "That is," he smirked, "if you ever manage to defeat me again." A small feeling of victory surged up when a flash of irritation passed of the woman's face.

"I've done it before," Sam reminded Crocodile as she turned back to the cart of groceries, "I can do it again."

"We shall see."

**Author's Notes**

Again, no excuse for the delay. My apologies.

Ahaha, the old lady, I love the old lady. Yes, she is insinuating exactly what you think she is. I had fun writing up Sam's lie there. Also, the music that's on the radio is probably Lady Gaga since you can't go an hour without hearing at least one of her songs. It's all the more appropriate because he's -Sir- Crocodile... Okay, I'm probably the only one who gets a chuckle at the idea.

You know, now that I'm reminded of how much I enjoy writing Crocodile's character, he'll probably be the next father I feature in my 'My Baby Girl' series if anyone of you reading this know or care about it.

T-T-F-N


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